The Power Keeper: A Gathering of Heroes Vol II
by The Power Keeper
Summary: The first book is all just getting things set up and I wanted to get the fresher ideas out. I'll explain what has happened so far as it goes on. As for what is coming, however, through a series of misunderstandings and circumstances that no one would know how to handle or react to, Nick is caught in a rather...unique and uncomfortable situation. No sexual content involved.
1. Back In the Saddle

-Chapter I- Back In the Saddle

-The Revolution, Skyrim

-August 2, 2012

-11:56 A.M.

-Nicholas

"Nick just-...just hold...stop moving!" Katara demanded as she used her waterbending to heal me.

"Can you blame me?" I asked. "I've been stuck in this thing for like two eternities now! I can't help that I'm a bit anxious."

"Nick, we can't get that cast off until Katara's done. Sit still like a good boy and you'll get a lollipop." Aang teased, watching us from across the room.

"Ha ha very funny" I retorted sarcastically. "And besides, I thought I'm already healed, so why does she have to do this?"

"I'm not so much as healing you, but looking for anything that would make removing the cast hazardous." Katara explained.

"So you're just making sure it's safe before we take me out of this thing?" I asked.

"Exactly."

We were in my room of the Revolution's base while I lied on the couch in my full-body cast that I was put in after Link had attacked me, believing that I was a traitor after tempting Saria and Sonic's lives. Although I was technically, but unconsciously was, I wasn't any longer.

"I don't see anything fatal. The initial injuries have healed, maybe a few bruises but that's probably normal." Katara said at last.

"Probably?" I asked uneasily.

"Well, keep in mind this is American medical attention. I'm not exactly accustomed to this sort of thing. It's...different from Water Tribe healing." She retracted the water from my body.

"True..." I trailed off, waiting to ask the question that I really wanted to know the answer to. "So...I'll be able to have this thing cut off of me?" I asked in conformation.

"Yep." She answered with a smile.

"Hooray! Let's celebrate with a cake." I heard Cloud say, assuming he entered the room through the open door. He entered my view, which was limited to straight up due to my neck being in a fixated position, and looked down at me and Katara. "Aang, your girlfriend is touching Nick's body." He said with a laugh.

"Oh, and where exactly is Tifa?" Aang asked.

"With Saria and this one's girlfriend." Cloud said. He must had referred to Link.

"Hey Link." I called. I didn't get a response.

"Oh come on, it's not his fault he was taken over by an evil counterpart of himself from another dimension." Cloud said.

"For the record I was being serious about that." I said.

"Yeah, yeah, we know."

"Crash told us with the little English he knows about the '9th Dimension'". Link said.

"Then why do I feel as though you still resent me, Link?" I asked.

"I have to admit, we did kind of ditch Nick..." Aang commented.

"But it's just the idea." Link said sternly. "He tried to kill Cloud, Saria, and Sonic because of it."

"And we all have forgiven him because we know _it wasn't him_." Cloud said in my defense. Regret burned in my stomach. "And better yet, he didn't."

I heard Link groan.

"What are you upset about? You're the one who sent him flying out a window, two stories down after being impaled _and_ filled with arrows." I heard Saria say. "Everyone else has forgiven him, Link."

"Can we just...change the subject?" I begged.

"Yeah. So what did you find?" Saria asked Katara.

"Nothing, he's good to go." She answered.

"So when will he be able to get it taken off?" I heard Zelda say.

"How many people are in here, exactly?" I asked.

"Only the eight of us." Saria said.

"Eight?"

"I'm here too." Tifa said.

"Make that nine." I heard Twilight say.

"What's up, Twi?" Saria asked.

"Well, pending on Nick's condition, I was going to ask him something."

"I'm about to go get this thing off." I said.

"But he probably won't be able to do very much. His muscles are still weak from neglect." Katara said.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. It's been about a month, Nick. Just be glad it was such a short span of time. If it were only Water Tribe healing, Tamriel, or American, it'd take most likely a little over seven months, if I were to guess."

"So what all did you all do for him anyway?" Cloud asked.

"Well, with the technology of America, healing potions from Tamriel, Hyrule, _and _Equestria, along with the Water healing sessions I've been having with him once a week, he was actually able to make a surprisingly quick recovery." Katara explained.

"Great! So where am I off to next?" I asked eagerly.

"Danica said she'd be more than happy to get the cast off for you." Aang said.

"Danica knows how?"

"She's been taking lessons from other American doctors." Saria piped in.

"But she knows how to operate the saw to get this thing off of me?"

"I guess we'll have to see." Aang said with a wide smile.

"I'll just talk to you on our way to the Intensive Care Unit." Twilight said.

"Here, Nick. I'll take you down there." Cloud offered.

"No, I got him." Saria objected.

"Girl, I gots 'dis. You go play with your bow and arrows."

"Oh, snap." Aang said.

"The sassyness is real." I added.

"It's really real." Link said with a slight chuckle.

"It's over 9000." Cloud laughed.

Saria sighed. "Alright, go."

"Thank you very much, ma'am."

"Are we going?" I asked, still anxious.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go. Aang, Link, help me with this." He said as he tried to lift me. With the three of them I was set down on a stretcher on wheels.

"Let us know how it goes." Tifa said as her, Zelda, Katara, and Saria left the room while we followed, then turned the opposite direction.

"Alright, Twilight, what was it you wanted to ask?" I asked, watching as the lights overhead appeared from the bottom of my vision then leaving from the top of it.

"Well, Princess Celestia said we'd have kind of like a parade and feast to celebrate me becoming a full-fledged princess." Twilight explained.

"As opposed to..." Cloud trailed off.

"I just got my own castle!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Anyway..." I signaled to continue the conversation.

"Anyway, she wanted the members of the Coup to be there, as well as you in the parade."

"How come?"

"Well, you _are_ the 'Savior of Equestria', one of my friends, and not mention being the Element of Courage."

"The element of who now?" Cloud asked, puzzled.

"The seventh Element of Harmony." I told him.

"There's...seven?"

"The seventh was lost in something Princess Celestia called 'The Abyss'."

"How?" Link piped in.

"We're not sure." I said. "Celestia didn't tell us because apparently she doesn't remember. All we know is it has something to do with one of my past lives."

"How many past lives do you have, anyway?" Aang asked. "I thought you said the last Power Keeper died like, a thousand years ago."

"You don't have any room to talk about past lives, 'Avatar' Aang." Link said lightheartedly.

"And you do?" Cloud chuckled. "How many Links have there supposedly been, now?"

"_Anyway_." Twilight said to get our attention.

"Anyway you want us to be there with me in the parade. Got it. When is it?" I asked.

"The day after tomorrow." She answered.

"Okay, do you want us to go to Equestria then or today?"

"Whatever you want to do, I guess."

"Today it is, then. We'll leave after we're done with this."

"I thought you hated Equestria." Link said. "Er...hated being a pony, anyway."

"I do, but if it means I will be able to move and _not_ be stuck on a bed with limbs so weak that I won't even be able to sit up, so be it."

"Are you even going to be able to leave the ICU today after getting the cast off?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, he's only getting it off. It's not like they're doing anything to him." Twilight said.

"But the entire Coup? Isn't that a bit...I don't know, risky with all the 'friends' we have?" Cloud asked.

"Well, we haven't seen any sign of the Blood Knights since our last...meeting; Locke is still probably trying to find a way to kill me since I broke one of his guns; and the Revelation isn't that powerful, so I highly doubt they'd be willing to directly attack the Revolution Base. And they are the only three real threats we have." I told him.

"You've seriously got to tell me how you ended up with them at your throat." Cloud said. I forgot Cloud was still considerably new.

"I'll entice you with the exquisite details later. But for now, we get me out of this stupid thing." I said, noticing that we were in the Intensive Care wing. We moved through the extensive hallways and into the large waiting room.

"Are you ready to be free again, Nick?" Aang asked. Only I could feel the joy within me and understand why my body vibrated with anticipation.

"Nick, are you finally able to get out?" I heard Danica ask.

After much fear flowing through me as Danica handled some sort of saw that cut through the plaster of the cast as though it were butter, I was able to move my limbs, though just barely and very weakly. My fingers twitched as I struggled to move my arm.

"Now, you won't be able to move very much due to lack of use of your limbs. So you'll be shaky and it'll take some time." Danica explained.

"Yeah, I know." I said quietly. "_But_ as for any other form of mine..." I said with a mischievous smile.

"Nick, I highly doubt your body will be able to fix itself if you're in another form. Just stay here until you actually _can_ move properly." Link advised.

"I'll deal with it later." I said, anxious to be able to move again. "Even if I do have to eventually, I want to at least be able to do _something_."

"I can understand that." Cloud spoke up.

Danica shook her head, "well, I guess it's up to you. I have no idea what will happen to your human form if you were to transform into your pony or machop form. I mean, it's typically not something that happens in medical science."

"I can imagine." I said as Aang and Link picked me up and set me in a wheelchair.

"Go, be free." Danica said to me as we left with me being pushed by Cloud. "Just be careful, and don't go being hard-headed like you always do and hurt yourself."

"He'll be fine. We'll watch him." Cloud called back.

"Alright, so what are we doing again?" Aang asked Twilight, who had been sitting in the waiting room just outside the operating room I was in.

"Nick, are you sure you want to head to Equestria?" Link asked.

"Yeah, why not? I mean, I'll be in a parade celebrating Twilight getting a castle, you'll all be there...I'll be able to walk..." I listed.

"And what if you really _can't_ do what it is you're expecting you'll be able to do."

"What do you mean?"

"What if you're weakened state carries over to your pony form."

"Then I'm very well screwed." I said simply. "But I can at least hope, right?"

"Alright..." Link trailed off.

"Also, Nick?" Twilight quietly asked.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Fluttershy seems to think that...you were with her when you were injured. Like, _with_ her. Talking to her, reassuring her..." She trailed off. "You don't think that was just a way to cope with you're...accident? Or..."

I stopped to think for a moment. Though the others most likely wouldn't have believed it, I _was_ with Fluttershy as we watched the medics of the Revolution tend to my every wound. I didn't know what it was exactly, but I could vaguely remember the words of something called the "Ashen Mist Heart" calling to me, allowing me access into Fluttershy's conscience and therefore, her memories as well. I watched her tragic past, filled with loss, sadness, yet plenty of hope and redemption. "I'll...talk to her about it."

"Alright, because whenever we deny that you couldn't have been there she gets a little...I don't know...upset"

"Hell, knowing Nick he probably somehow _was_ there with her, like an angel." Cloud piped up. We all stopped, standing there in an awkward silence. "Alrighty then.


	2. Vengeance

-Chapter II- Vengeance

-Wa Shi Tong's Library, The Earth Kingdom

-August 2, 2012

-12:00 P.M.

-Dusk Shine

"When I get out of this, you will be my dinner." The great owl threatened.

"That only shows that you will go hungry, then. Now hush, you arrogant bird." The unicorn retorted dryly without looking up from her work. Strewn all about her in piles and stacks were drawings, pictures, and a plethora of failed spells. She had been working tirelessly, with each experiment only ending in failure, with her research, using the vast collection of books on the multiple forms of magic that were held in the library of Wa Shi Tong himself, who was now caught in a mass of rope 20 feet away from Dusk Shine and her work.

"You use _my_ library, _my_ knowledge seekers, and you dare call _me_ the arrogant one?" He hissed as one of his own fox knowledge seekers walked by him. Usually used to gather information in any form from all over the world, they were now being forced to gather information only regarding the purple alicorn that Dusk Shine had seen when she had crawled out of the Tree of Harmony's cavern when it was being overrun with plunderseed vines.

Without a word, Dusk Shine illuminated the room with the magenta glow of her horn, then aimed it at the bird. "I do, for you tempt my anger while you are helpless, and I have the ability to end you at any moment." The unicorn threatened. The owl narrowed his eyes in hatred toward her.

"What it is you are trying to do is hopeless. Only the greatest and most powerful minds in magic are able to accomplish your goal."

Dusk Shine did not say a word. She had increased her intellect of magic as well as her abilities and arsenal in spells. She was no longer the unicorn that could do next to nothing. She was the unicorn that could do next to anything. She pulled out her journal, wrote yet another spell beneath the last failure, then said it just under her breath. Each letter written let off a soft, pink light, and a white burst of light surrounded Dusk Shine, then gathered around her back. Only for a moment did she taste success.

"Give it up. Let me go now and I might just make your death quick and painless." Wa Shi Tong demanded. His words echoed through the spacious halls of the now underground library.

Dusk Shine did not heed these words, but was solely lost in thought. She was nearly completely sure this spell in particular would've worked. She sighed, trying her best to hide the frustration that overtook her. Rage took her over as she swung a hoof across her work table, sending the multiple books that cluttered it to the dusty stone floor. She articulated just what the cause of this failure could've been when she was so sure it was only too perfect. She had searched the entire library's contents, no such spell was known to be able to accomplish just what it was she yearned to do, which was exactly why she longed to create the spell herself. Then a thought occurred to her. _Perhaps the bird speaks some sense..._

"You are no better than the humans." The owl screeched. "You only are in search of knowledge for your own personal gain; to exact revenge or attain the upper hand." Dusk Shine began to walk away from her research. "Are you finally giving up?"

She had worked too hard now to give up. After a great deal of time spent only on researching, only to find how to create spells, as well as a miscellaneous of others as well, which Dusk Shine also took the time to master. She was well acquainted with nearly every spell ever created, be it of Tamriel, Equestria, Hyrule, even Alagaesia or Lordran, only lacking in the knowledge of those created only by either Sapphire or Princess Celestia herself. After many sleepless nights, mainly due to the memories that constantly haunted her of Sapphire's betrayal, the very last encounter with King Sombra they had as well as so many others, Dusk Shine had come so close to perfection. Training her conscience constantly to achieve only the strongest abilities in magic. Now she could even turn the simplest of destruction spells and transform them into a great disaster.

She glanced at one of the photos lying on the floor depicting the purple alicorn. _Twilight Sparkle...it is never that simple to avoid me, Sapphire. You cannot go unpunished for your villainous acts of betrayal. Just you wait...for I will watch you burn before me, and I shall enjoy every moment as you scream for mercy. And I will cleanse your existence of which infects this earth._

Dusk Shine returned her gaze to her workbench. Though she had trained her skills in magic practically to the max, she still wasn't powerful enough. Then yet another idea struck her. _Perhaps there is a potion recipe among these books to grant me even higher possibilities of magical strength..._ A grim smile graced her lips as she slowly began to trot back to the towering mass of books that lied strewn about her workspace. She searched for a certain book in particular, one of which she had accidentally stumbled upon whilst searching for the spell she had been working so arduously to manufacture herself. One of recipes for only the most advanced and strongest of spell casters.

When she found it lying face-down apart from the other material, she skimmed through the pages, slightly deteriorated from age. Hope once more sparked when she found the recipe she was hoping to find. As she went through the extensive list of ingredients required for the creation, she thought in her mind where they could be found. When she was complete, she turned to one of the fox knowledge seekers, then used her magic to manipulate it as she had done so many times before, sending it images and possible locations of the herbs and materials she tasked it with to find. When she was through, she nodded and leaped away to complete its newly assigned objective. And it wasn't long before it returned.

She immediately began working on the marvelous plan, gathering the materials and an ancient water basin onto the wooden table. She followed the recipe to exact measurements and instructions as to insure no mistake, no fault. After adding each ingredient, she constantly stirred the mixture until it was of a pale blue color with a consistency similar to that of a light creamWhen it was complete, she gazed in awe at the potion that was crafted by her own hooves. Then, with no hesitation, gulped it down. At first she felt nothing, but then a strange burning feeling developed in her stomach, which quickly spread like wildfire to the rest of her body, engulfing her every limb. She felt the energy surge through her veins, and she did her best to restrain it, to contain it. When at last she could no longer, she allowed it to focus in her horn, which burst with magic. Her magenta aura slowly changed into a gruesome, blood-red hue, and her horn was completely engulfed with the light. She began to repeat the words that she had before spoken, then screamed in pain as her magic engulfed her as well, and she felt the transformation take place.

Though in much pain, Dusk Shine laughed hysterically at the amazing power she now possessed. She was possibly now even more powerful than even the great Princess Celestia and Princess Luna themselves. It felt as though someone tore at the flesh in her back as the spell began to succeed. She clenched her teeth and gritted them, containing herself, but when it was through, she practically fainted. She fell to the ground as her body burned. She lied there for a few moments.

"I suspect it didn't go as planned, pathetic Equestrian?" Wa Shi Tong said, taking humor in the pain the unicorn was suffering.

"I wouldn't say that..." The human in a cage near Wa Shi Tong spoke as he pointed a trembling finger at the Equestrian, who was now again on her hooves, smiling in pure delight. She marveled at the new joints she felt, the movements and flapping of her new wings. Dusk Shine was now now only an alicorn, but quite possibly the strongest alicorn alive. She outstretched them as far as they could go, giving her pleasure as she inspected them with pride.

"Now, 'Twilight Sparkle', I shall cleanse the Earth of your very existence. Though you may be 'The Power Keeper', I will make sure you will have no way of reincarnation, no way of being revived, and you shall suffer eternally just as I have." At last, the endless time spent on strengthening herself bore fruit, and she would have her revenge on her past friend for haunting her constantly with endless fond memories of their friendship, ending only in deceit.


	3. Sweet Dreams

-Chapter III- Sweet Dreams

-The Revolution Base, Skyrim

-August 2, 2012

-12:23 P.M.

-Nicholas

"Oh my god I can't wait to walk again!" I exclaimed as Aang pushed me in my wheelchair along the sidewalks to the helipad on the other side of the layout of the Revolution's Base, near the barracks of the new soldiers, or "newbies" as I've heard them be referred to by their companions.

"Just keep in mind that you'll be a pony." Cloud warned.

"_But_ I'll be able to walk!"

Link rolled his eyes, "I'd still not be so excited, once you're back out of Equestria you're right back into the wheelchair." He advised.

"Yeah, Nick. I think you're just getting excited for a one-night thing. It's not like you're gonna walk out, turn back into a human and be completely normal." Aang added.

"Look, once you three have been stuck in a full-body cast for over a month, I'd bet you'd be willing to do _anything_ to be able to at least move around, even if it's for a short period of time." I told them.

"Alright, alright...you have your fun for a couple days." Aang said.

"And I shall." As I said this, I heard Saria call my name. I looked around frantically from building to building that made up the layout of the Revolution, searching the yards and sidewalks that followed parallel to the roads, from where the voice came. When I spotted her bright-orange hair, glistening in the noon sun, Cloud took my arm and waved it in the air, then letting it back down, but before letting go of my arm, made it seem like I blew her a kiss. "_Cloud_." I said grudgingly with a disgruntled expression.

Aang led me to where Saria stood with her arms folded across her chest and her bow and quiver across her back. Together Saria, Aang, Link, Cloud, and I went to where the helipad was, where Cid Highwind, the pilot of Cloud's own group, AVALANCHE. Tails would've normally been our pilot to oversea land, but since the select few members of the Coup, or the highest and most powerful ranks of The Revolution, most of which not wanting to go or were already doing there own thing, was too many for his biplane, and he didn't like piloting the Highwind, which was Cid's own airship.

When a ramp was lowered for me, I saw the other members that did come along with us to Equestria: Stealth, Tifa, Katara, Zelda, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Spyro, Cynder, Rayman, Crash, Wright, Cid, Tatuyi, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Dash, Spike, and of course, Twilight. Luckily the Highwind is a large ship, so there was still more than enough room for everyone. Cloud, Link, and Aang came in with me, while Navi, Tatl, and Tael followed Link. I tried my best to raise my arms to be able to roll myself across the cockpit, but to no avail.

"Nick!" Fluttershy exclaimed, flying towards me and landing behind me, where I could not see her. I began moving, thanks to Fluttershy pushing me along. As I passed Tatuyi, one of the two trainers I had befriended during my Pokémon journey across Kanto, she gave me my sword, still in its sheath.

"Here, I kinda guessed you'd want it if you're able to hold it again." She told me.

"Thanks, Tat." I said to her as I continued moving.

"There you go, Nick." Fluttershy told me as she stopped next to where Cloud, Aang, and Link stood.

I couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh as I thanked her, "thanks, Fluttershy." I said with a smile. I watched as she trotted past me, looking behind her as she walked away, smiling back, then joining the rest of the Mane 6.

"D'awww!" Cloud said, clasping his hands together. "I think a certain somebody- excuse me- _somepony_ found her special _somepony!_"

I slowly turned my head to his direction. I stared at him angrily as he did his best to hold in a laugh, just as Aang did while Link lowered his head with a wide grin. "You're lucky I can't backhand you right now." I told him.

"Oh, I know I'm probably gonna pay for this when you are able to move around like normal again, but for now, I'm just gonna sit here, and laugh." He said, then throwing his head back with a grin and eyes squeezed shut to emphasize his humor in the conversation. I felt the Highwind begin to move, and before we knew it we were in the air.

Most of the trip was spent listening to Twilight recap the events that took place during their return to Equestria while I was on my journey across Kanto, including such as her having to fight "plunderseed vines" that were growing over Ponyville, spawning from the Everfree Forest and focusing mainly on the "Tree of Harmony", her and the others exploring the Royal Sisters' Castle (which sounded somewhat familiar, actually), actually meeting the real "Daring Do" the main character of her and Rainbow Dash's favorite book series, and a series of events that, through their actions, each of the Mane 6 had earned a gift from those they helped whilst displaying their each respective Elements of Harmony, and enabling them some sort of "Rainbow Power" that gave them an advantage on the most recent attacker of Equestria that bore yet another name that sounded vaguely familiar, Lord Tirek.

I was honestly shocked when she told me of Discord's betrayal by helping Tirek, but wasn't surprised at all when he soon returned to them, ashamed of his own actions when Tirek had betrayed _him, _and once again became their friend. Luckily for him, I wasn't there, or else I wouldn't had let him off so easily. After Lord Tirek's defeat, Twilight's castle arose from the ground and she was granted the title "Princess of Friendship". It wasn't long after they returned from Equestria (a period of time Pinkie has accustomed to calling "Season 4", something that only Pinkie would come up with), that I had returned from Kanto, then followed by my...episode. In turn, I told her of my trip throughout Kanto, which took place during their departure, where I had started in a small, rural town called "Pallet Town", where Professor Oak had gifted to me a Pikachu. I told her of Oak's experiment where trainers that showed something special, something that only he could see, would be given a Pikachu to start their journey out with. Of course, I also started with the Scraggy that Max had given to me after he had died... Apparently, Oak had given a Pikachu that was accidentally captured when it attacked, then given to a trainer named Red. This, unfortunately, this was all Oak had told me of the project. However, midway through my journey Oak had informed me of another trainer who had gotten the third Pikachu, the same that apparently held a grudge against humans, for whatever reason.

Sometime while I was still in I.C.U., though not in any critical conditions, Celestia had proposed that she held a parade in Twilight's honor in Canterlot celebrating her achievements and becoming a fully-realized princess, followed by a feast to take place in Ponyville, where Twilight offered me residence to stay the night. Although sleeping in a castle might have been a unique experience, I decided that I'd rather stay at the library, just as I did nearly every other time I had visited Equestria in the past, though I hadn't brought it up thinking it wouldn't be anything but a small detail.

Not long after Twilight had finished speaking did we begin to enter Equestria's borders, which even I was surprised at my eagerness at doing so, for I didn't care too much for my pony form, which was given to me when I decided _against _assisting Equestria in their time in need seeing as how I did my very best to avoid the land, despite my having a dream where Princess Celestia was being threatened by President Rufus Shinra, leader of the Shinra Corporation of Midgar, whom we later found to be an enemy of Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE. When I wasn't willingly heading to Equestria to save them, I was forcibly sent their, transforming into one of the native ponies myself in the process. Ever since, whenever I enter Equestria's borders, I turn into the four-hoofed animal.

After waiting a few seconds after Cid's announcement of our entry with everyone looking at me expectantly, my sword began to glow from its usual cobalt blue shade into a bright blue across the entire blade, and a burst of white escaped its pommel. I absorbed the light, and from what I have been told, the light almost instantly turns completely black before it leaves my body and returns to the sword, which also transforms along with me, resembling an Equestrian sword, leaving me in my new form behind. I had my eyes shut the entire time wincing along with the rest of my expression as I tried my best to suppress the pain that came along with each transformation. When the pain gradually faded away, I slowly opened my eyes, revealing my pegasus form. I stared in awe as I easily raised a light-tan hoof, a color resembling the shade of my skin in my human form, in front of me. Simply being able to move seemed like a pleasure from the past, long since forgotten, and the joy I felt was beyond comparison.

I smiled as I threw myself away from the wheelchair, staying in the air with my wings, which I still had yet to master, despite Fluttershy showing me how to fly every once in awhile. Every time I attempted flight, I at first couldn't even keep myself in the air, but now my main issue was simply controlling where I went, because whenever I flew and was supposed to be heading in a single direction or hovering the the air in a single spot, I would constantly drift off.

"Ha!" I exclaimed. I looked over to Stealth, who was fear-stricken. "Stealth...come here, boy!" I said to the black dragon.

_"NO!" _He said, flying away. I flew after him, and for some time we flew around the Highwind as I laughed the entire time Stealth continued to freak out.

_"Come on, now! You don't want to be like your best friend Spike?" _I told him telepathically.

_"You're so mean, you JERK!"_

_ "You've only been a messenger dragon once or twice, wasn't it fun?" _I laughed out loud. I was having way too much amusement from this, and we both knew it.

_"A messenger dragon doesn't have wings! I like to fly!" _He said irritably.

"Nick, what are you doing to Stealth?" Tat asked.

_"When he first went to Equestria, I came with accidentally and was turned into a messenger dragon. Every time he touches me when he's a pony I get turned into MY Equestrian form. AND I DON'T LIKE THAT!"_

I stopped in midair, then swooped beneath where he was and intercepted him, tackling him from beneath. I grabbed him as we continued to go up, then I slowed and looked at the dragon I held in my hooves, to see Stealth in his other form with a very ticked look on his face. I smiled wide as he struggled to get out of my grasp. "Now he's gotta wait til I'm back in my normal form..." I said to Jackson, who rolled his eyes at me. I landed on the ground and released the poor dragon, who stomped with every step away in anger.

"Nick, you are such a jerk." Saria said as she walked up behind me, patting my back. She began petting me and I shot her an irritated glance.

"Yeah, but it's too much fun _not_ to mess with him." I said, forcing her hand away from me. "Cloud, what the hell are you doing?" I turned to him just as a few others did, watching him pace back and forth on the ship.

"I've got motion sickness shut up." He said with his hands placed on his head.

"A boy and his dragon...I wish I had a dragon." Sparx said as he flew up to my face. "Oh, wait a minute...hey Spyro, come here!" I shook my head as Sparx flew off and circled the poor purple dragon.

"'_Ey_! _We're here!_" Cid called over the intercom of the airship.

We all got off of the Highwind, and I was blinded by the sudden intense light hitting my eyes when the shade of the airship evaded me and the sun's light engulfed me. The air was fresh and the lush grass beneath my hooves was soft. I took a deep breath, which was knocked out by Aang patting my back. This caused me to begin coughing.

"Oops, sorry." Aang apologized with a nervous face and retracting his hand.

"So this is Ponyville..." Tatuyi said in awe, scanning what of the town we could see from where we are. We were just outside the town's borders.

"Yep! Come on, let's go!" Pinkie said excitedly, hopping towards the brightly-colored group of buildings.

"Pinkie, wait up!" Dash called after her, jumping into the air and soaring close behind her.

"Hey Nick, when was the last time you were here?" I heard Spyro ask.

I looked at Link and Cloud, who also were waiting for an answer. "Well...I think that was when the Cutie Mark Crusaders..." I trailed off, feeling Rarity and Applejack's glare piercing my back. Last time I was there, I gave advice to Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell on how to get rid of bullies, i.e., Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "I still don't consider that a fight." I said aloud. "And Dash was still pretty proud of Scootaloo."

As a group we began to tread to the sign saying: _Welcome to Ponyville!_ "I thought we were going to be in Canterlot." Sonic said.

"I guess it's going to be in Ponyville." Spyro replied.

"I hate change in plans." Rayman added in his poor English.

"Why?"

"I find it...unexpected."

I rolled my eyes as Sonic facepalmed and I continued to move onward. "Hey, Nick!" I heard a familiar voice say.

"Dak?" I asked. The blue stallion pegasus with brown mane revealed himself from the distance, followed by the pink pegasus mare with a purple mane, Cyclone Winds.

"Hey Nick! Haven't seen you in awhile!" Cyclone called.

"You can walk!" Dak noticed, meeting up with the rest of our group and walking alongside me.

"Yeah, for now..." I said with a nervous smile. "What are you two doing here? I thought you lived in Canterlot."

"We do. But I had to come to Ponyville for the parade that Princesses Luna and Celestia are having on the behalf of Princess Twilight." He said, bowing to Twilight.

"And I wanted to come along. You know, cause why not?" Cyclone said.

"Who are these two?" Cloud asked.

"I'm Cyclone Winds, and this is Dak." Cyclone told him.

I flew to eye level with Cloud, then whispered in his ear, "They don't know that I'm human."

"How come? I mean, you're not exactly the smoothest pegasus." He said with a chuckle.

"Hey Nick, We've got to go help the other guards get ready for the whole celebration thing, see ya tomorrow." Dak told me.

"Alright, see ya." I replied.

I nodded in farewell, and they flew off. "Who were they?" Cloud asked again.

"They are a couple of Equestrian Guards. They've helped me a few times, but we haven't talked too much. Nice people, though."

"Ponies!" Pinkie corrected in the background.

"Right, ponies." I repeated irritably.

"Come on, Nick! I've got to show you this." Twilight said, flying in the air. She zoomed off and I followed, sticking to the ground.

"Hold on, I'm going to stop by the library first. I think I accidentally left my saddlebag last time I stayed there." I said back.

"Uh, Nick?" I heard Dash say.

"Hold on a sec." I called back behind me when I strayed from the group. I followed the path I always do when I visit the town, then was abruptly stopped in my tracks when I gazed at the remnants of the library with my mouth agape.

"There's no library, anymore. Or at least, not in a building of its own." Dash said, flying to my side.

"_Damn..._" I said quietly to myself. The building appeared as though it had completely blown up from the inside. Burnt pieces of wood were strewn about the area along with pieces of book.

"I'm kind of surprised nopony has cleaned this up yet, actually." Twilight said, joining Dash and I.

I suddenly turned to her. "Oh my god, are you alright?! Was anybody-"

"-anypony-" Dash corrected.

"-Anypony hurt?" I asked. "Is that the reason why you came back to the Revolution?" I asked, pointing a hoof to the destroyed tree.

"Nick, remember, I've got a castle." Twilight said softly. "But I appreciate the concern."

I looked behind Twilight, seeing the massive crystalline castle looming over the surrounding buildings of Ponyville. "Oh yeah..." I said quietly.

"Come on, I want to show you the castle." She said excitedly.

I smiled while rolling my eyes as Twilight used her magic to pull me through Ponyville's streets towards the magnificent structure. It seemed to have constructed purely of crystals, something that seemed somewhat familiar...

"_Nick!_" I heard.

"Dude, did you _seriously_ just drift off when you were being pulled through Ponyville?" Cloud laughed.

"I didn't drift off, I just...got lost in thought." I said.

"You really do that often, don't you?" Link asked.

"It's somewhat habitual." I shrugged. I turned around to continue towards the castle before smacking into it. I lied on the ground for a few seconds, wincing in pain, then opened my eyes up to the large castle, then getting up. "That was quick." I said, rubbing my throbbing forehead.

"You are really weird." Aang said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever You say it like you're not." I said.

"What were you thinking that was so..." Link trailed off.

"Bewildering?" Cloud said.

"Bewildering? What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you just had a face that was really...amazed." Aang told me.

I leaped to the air, allowing my wings to keep me from landing again. "I dunno, it's just a really awesome castle, I guess."

"Oh just wait, you haven't even _seen_ the inside!" Twilight said enthusiastically. She used her magic to open the heavy crystalline doors, then flew in with the rest of us following her.

"This ain't half bad...of course then again it's really, _really_ big to me." Sparx said aloud, his words echoing throughout the halls.

"Sparx, I'm pretty sure an acorn is big for you." Spyro said.

"An acorn is big for you..." Sparx repeated, doing a poor impersonation of Spyro, "shut up, will ya?"

I only rolled my eyes. I trotted forward towards the middle of the entryway, staring at every detail in awe, examining the blue crystalline walls. I felt a sense of...comfort...and...and...

"_Nick!_" I jumped. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Wright said. "That's the second time in past, like, five minutes!"

I shook myself out of the trance. "I don't know, I'm just having one of those days, I guess."

"It's his time of the month." Cloud chuckled quietly to Tatuyi.

Without looking, I threw a kick behind me, hitting Cloud perfectly in the leg. "Bulls-eye." I said happily with a grin.

"Pony-eye!" Tatuyi said with a giggle.

"Oh you love me. Come on, admit it, I'm irresistible." Cloud teased, buzzing around my head. "Come on, Ponyboy!"

"Oh god..." I said, facehoofing again.

"Actually...hmm, Ponyboy...it's clever, and one of your beloved references!"

_Oh god why. _I thought.

_Because you deserve it._ Stealth replied.

_Why do I deserve it?_

_ Because you are a mean bastard for turning me into a messenger dragon._

_ Stealth Cleverwind, don't you use that kind of language. _I teased.

_Oh come on, why not? You use it!_

_ Because you are a BABY dragon, and babies shouldn't use that kind of language._

_ You shut up. _He thought with a sense of embarrassment.

_Then stop listening to my thoughts._

_ I can't and you know that. You are my rider, so we are connected, even through thought._

_ I'm not your rider._

_ What do you mean?_

_ You are too small, so I can't ride you. _I teased again.

_Will you shut up?_

_ Nah. _I thought simply. I didn't get a reply. "Hey Twilight, how about a tour?" She lit up at the very mentioning of a tour.

"Of course!" She said joyously.

After about an hour of her showing us every room of the castle (although there weren't that many, she, herself was still aghast at what she now possessed), she finished my bringing us to her own throne room, which had not one, but 6 thrones gathered in a circle, each with an Element of Harmony carved into the stone that the thrones were made with a smaller throne beside the Element of Magic.

"Wow..." Cloud said. Even he was amazed.

"So what, she has a few chairs." Sparx said. "I've got a big purple butler." He said, pointing to Spyro. "What's the big deal about some seats?"

This time, it was Navi who told him to shut up. "Be quiet, Sparx." Then Tatl sneaked up behind him and proceeded to hit him.

"And _this_ has got to be my favorite part of Twilight's castle." Rarity said, trotting to the throne that bared the symbol representing the Element of Generosity.

"Of course it is." I said plainly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She snapped, turning back to me.

"I don't really have to explain myself, do I?"

"Oh, I see." She said sternly. "You are only jealous because the Element of Courage doesn't get a throne and the other six elements do." She said with a victorious smile.

"Oh yes, _that's _it."

"Quit your whining, Nick. There really is no need for jealousy." She said with a pose and a smile.

"What jealousy? I've got an entire militia at my command! And beside, I'm just as much of an Element of Harmony as you, if not _more_. I mean, Element of Generosity? You? _Please! _My brightly-colored, furry, cutie marked pony ass!"

_Which is still quite possibly even more generous than you! _Stealth added, allowing everyone in the room to hear his words. _Nick, Spike looks like he's going to kill me._ I looked at the two dragons. Spike looked infuriated beyond recognition towards the black dragon as he replied by giving a nervous smile.

As Rarity stood there in heated anger, Cloud, Link, and Aang's faces were bright-red as they struggled to keep from laughing like a group of school girls. "Well done, Stealth..." Cloud said, letting out a quick snort as he spoke. Hearing Cloud snort caused the rest of us to laugh extremely loud, followed by the girls' laughs as well. Rarity, however, still stood silently in intense anger and embarrassment.

After many minutes of us just laughing, I lied on the ground, out of breath and completely exhausted. I struggled to talk as I panted for air, "okay...okay...I'm tired now..." I said, small laughs between each word. "What time is it, anyway?"

"By the amount of light filtering in through the space time continuum, the surprising lack of ostriches, and unknown collection of dust particles floating about the air of which we are currently breathing in...I have no idea." Pinkie said explicitly. For a moment I almost thought she was actually being serious.

"I'm kind of surprised she didn't mention-" Sonic started, before I stuck a hoof in his mouth to stop him from going any further.

"Let's just get some sleep." Tatuyi proposed.

A loud crack of thunder struck me. I gradually got up from where I lied, lost and confused. I found myself trapped in an endless void...fear shot through my body and I turned to run. I...I was human again, but my maneuverability was perfectly fine, but that was the last thing on my mind. The adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me going forward at speeds I didn't think possible for my limbs to accomplish. I was forced to abruptly stop when I was met by a cliff edge, plateauing straight down. I turned around quickly to see just what it was that I was escaping from. I began shaking in fear vigorously, not knowing what to expect. I reached for my sword, but my sheath was empty. A figure appeared from the darkness, and like a dense mist, the darkness dispersed from my foe, revealing Saria.

I backed up a step, nearly falling off the cliff. I looked back down to where I was sure was to be my grave, then returned my sight to Saria. However, the apparition had disappeared as quickly as it came. The thunder cracked again, and I turned back to the cliff, seeing Luke Reider, impaled on a tree limb, just as how I left him dead on my first mission against the Blood Knights...my first kill. I turned again to run, but Luke stood before me, lifeless and limp, staring at me with clouded over eyes. I stumbled backwards, falling into the abyss. A gunshot followed, resounding through the air. I opened my eyes again, finding myself staring down the barrel of a pistol at Saria. She looked at me with pleading eyes, and, with no control over my fingers, I instinctively pulled the trigger, no matter how much I struggled to resist.

I dropped the gun, hearing it fall to the floor with a heavy _thud_. I helplessly stared at the corpse of whom was once my friend...I began breathing heavily, seeing what it was that I had just done. I cried out for help, but no sounds were to be heard, no words escaped my lips. I fell to a panic, not knowing what else to do other than stand over the body of my companion. I collapsed to my knees, begging for her to still be alive, but through all my hope and bargaining, I knew that she was dead. Whispers surrounded me, and I found myself standing before a room of the corpses of my friends, all strewn about in puddles of blood...and a gun in my hand. I shook my head, denying what it was that I was seeing, throwing the gun across the room of bodies. I left the mass of death behind me, trying to evade this nightmare. _"Time to die, Sapphire..." _The whispers grew louder, and louder, and louder, chanting my name in a monotonous tone with overlapping voices until they were screaming. _"Nick...Nick...Nick!"_

I shot up in my bed, lost. Twilight stood before my bed, concern drawn across her face. "Nick, are you okay?"

I looked down quietly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "I'm sorry I woke you." I looked apologetically to Stealth, who had been sleeping beside me.

"I don't care about that." I looked at her. "You had the nightmare again, didn't you?" She asked.

I shook my head. "There is no nightmare." I told her.

"Nick, you can't run from this. You...you can't just pretend this isn't happening."

"It's nothing." I said quietly, turning back over to go back to sleep.

"You know just as much as I do that that is a lie. You've been having this same dream over and over again, where you kill Saria and find yourself in a room with all of us dead. You can't blame yourself for what you did, Nick. That wasn't you."

I shot up, seeing this about to head the same way it has for the past few times with Saria. "And what if Link hadn't shown up to stop me? Then where would we all be?"

"But he did."

I was seething with emotions I couldn't even begin to describe. I was still scared, seeing what I had almost done to Saria when I was under the control of the 9th dimensional me. Though it put me in the hospital and almost dying, along with the month of a full-body cast and my human form's current state, I considered myself lucky that Link came along when he did, stopping me from killing both Saria, _and_ Sonic.

Twilight swallowed hard, and looked at me with caring eyes. "Nick..." I didn't say a word. "And what about Reider?"

I closed my eyes. Twilight knew just as much as I did about what I did to Luke Reider, causing his brother to rise an entire militia with the sole purpose to kill me and me alone, The Revelation. "His death was by my hands as well." I said softly.

"He tried to kill you. You were only defending yourself." I was surprised to hear this from the purple alicorn pony, who wasn't even willing to cuss, let alone kill.

"You wouldn't know what it's like, carrying the fact that someone's life was ended because of what you did to them, causing their family to mourn in the unexpected loss of their loved one."

"You're right, I wouldn't. But I know you can't just keep holding your feelings in you without letting them out."

"I'm done talking about this." I said sternly.

"I'm not."

"Well I am." There was silence between us for a few moments while I tried my hardest to avoid eye contact with Twilight.

"Who's Max?" She asked quietly.

"A...a friend. A friend whom I haven't seen in a long time. That is all."

_"Nick..." _Stealth started.

_"No, Stealth. I wish not to talk of it any longer."_

I climbed back into the bed and sheltered myself from the alicorn and dragon under the blankets, lying still in silence. I heard Twilight sigh, then her hoofsteps slowly fade until inaudible. I closed my eyes in an attempt to fall asleep. An attempt that, I knew all too well, would be fruitless, just as it had been for the past few weeks.


	4. A Friend

-Chapter IV- A Friend

-Ponyville, Equestria

-August 3, 2012

-8:26 A.M.

-Twilight

Ever since the bicker the night before, Twilight couldn't stop thinking about Nick's condition. It was obvious he was in pain, but for what reason she did not know, but one thing in particular caught her attention when she was awoken by him screaming for help. He had called out for the someone of the name "Max". She hadn't heard of anyone named Max, and she hadn't heard Nick talk about him whatsoever, so her curiosity arose at the mentioning of this mysterious figure. She knew automatically who to talk to about it when she first awoke the next morning too. As soon as she woke up in her bed, Twilight hurriedly galloped down the stairwell that led up to her room and, making her way to the foyer, screeched to a sudden stop when one of the people she wished to talk to nearly ran into her.

"Whoa, Twilight, what's the hurry?" Cloud asked when he noticed her coming.

"I...I was..." she panted, gasping for air as she gradually caught her breath. She coughed to clear her throat and began to speak again, "I was looking for you, Aang, and Link."

"Why?" he asked slowly.

"Because I wanted to ask you something about Nick."

"Oh, did you hear him last night too? Ugh he's been having those nightmares since the uh 'incident'."

"Yeah, but did you hear him call out 'Max?"

He stopped to think for a moment, and by the expressions on his face Twilight could tell he really was trying to recall what he heard the night before. "I...don't really know. Why?"

"I asked him about it and he got really...sensitive about it. I was hoping you would know who he was." she explained.

"How would I know who Max is?"

"Well, you, Aang, and Link are, like, his best friends, so I thought maybe he would've talked to you three about it?" she asked with a smile.

Cloud took a deep breath, "To honestly tell you, I really haven't been the _closest_ friend to Nick, especially since I _am_ kinda new. You know what I mean?"

Twilight nodded in understanding. "Yeah."

"But hey, try talking to Link or Aang, they might, and I mean _might_ know something, but I don't know. Nick's pretty broken up and hard to find all the pieces for."

"Alright, thanks." she said, and followed Cloud down the final set of stairs and entered the foyer, turned the opposite direction Cloud headed and immediately looked around for Link or Aang.

"Yo, Twi." she heard Cloud say. She turned her attention to where he was, and he motioned for her to follow. "Here they are."

"Oh, thanks Cloud!" she said as she trotted quickly to him.

"Where are who?" Aang asked.

"There are you." Cloud responded as he and Twilight walked up to them, "Twilight wants to ask you two something."

"Where's Nick?" she asked first.

"The answer to that would be at the market, I believe." Link said. "He said he needed to clear his head and wanted to see how the parade's coming along."

"Alright, good. Do either of you two know who Max is?"

Link and Aang stared at each other for a moment, then nodded in unison, as though agreeing mentally on what to say. "His imaginary friend." Aang said.

"His...his imaginary friend?"

"Yeah, or at least, that's what I'm thinking. I've asked him the exact same question a few times and he just said 'a friend'." Link explained.

"I've seen him a couple times talking to someone in a room, but when I came in there it was empty and I'd ask him who he was talking to, and he'd just say no one." Aang added.

"Nick's got an imaginary friend, eh? That's...unusual. And completely unexpected." Cloud said.

"Are you guys _sure_ he's an imaginary friend? Nick doesn't seem like the type of person to have something like that." Twilight asked.

"Well, think about it." Link said, "Nick's said before that he didn't have any friends when he was growing up while he was being trained to be the dragonborn other than Max. So it _is_ possible that Max was just that only friend that he could have, and he just never let go of him."

"Yeah...I guess that makes sense." Twilight agreed.

"What makes sense?" she nearly jumped as she heard Nick behind her.

"Uh, nothing, nothing! We're just talking about the parade, maybe what Princess Celestia has or hasn't decided to put in it or do, stuff like that." she falsely explained as she turned around to face the pegasus.

He began to look confused, then just shook off the expression. "Alright then. Well, it looks like Celestia's expecting a pretty big crowd, although she was acting really...weird too."

"Weird?" Link asked.

"Yeah, she seemed off. She hardly moved or anything, she just stood there as she talked." he explained.

"That _is _pretty weird." Twilight said to herself.


End file.
